Austrian
Kaiserschmarrn (Torn Caramelised Soufflé Pancake)
Austria's pancake dessert: a yolk batter lightened with whisked whites, poured thick into a pan, quartered and turned once the underside has set, and then torn into bite-sized pieces in the pan. A pancake is usually turned so as not to tear it; here the tear is the method. The batter is too thick to flip whole or to cook through, so tearing turns its unset middle into fresh surface against the pan, and the ragged faces take a coat of caramelised sugar.
Linzer Torte (Hazelnut Pastry Tart with a Lattice of Jam)
The latticed jam tart of Linz, and the oldest cake for which a written recipe survives. The whole of the dough is that a third of the flour is replaced by ground hazelnuts. That removes gluten, and the oil inside the nuts gets between what gluten is left and shortens it further. The result is too soft to lift in one sheet, which is why the top is a lattice: not decoration, but the only way that dough can be got over the jam.
Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel in Hand-Stretched Dough)
A Viennese dessert: dough stretched thin by hand, filled with apple and rolled. What the dish is comes down to that dough — not puff pastry with butter folded into it, but a high-gluten dough rested and then pulled over the backs of your hands until you can read newsprint through it. Versions made with shop-bought puff pastry are also called strudel, but they are closer to a different food.
Sachertorte (Chocolate Cake with Apricot Jam and Poured Glaze)
The Viennese cake: chocolate sponge with a layer of apricot jam, finished with a glaze of chocolate melted into boiled sugar syrup and poured over in one go. The hard part is not the batter but the glaze — the glassy shine hangs on taking the syrup to 112°C and pouring at the right moment. Unsweetened whipped cream alongside is part of the recipe, not a garnish.
Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel)
Vienna's signature dish — a thin veal (or pork) cutlet breaded and fried to golden crispness. The authentic 'Wiener Schnitzel' is made with veal and served with a wedge of lemon. Crisp outside, tender within.